Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

Chapter 172 - 103: Reflections on the River

The door swung open, and a cool breeze wrapped around Li Younan.

The room was small, yet it instilled a sense of inexplicable calm.

Walking to the window, outside was a flowing landscape: the lights of Yu Zhong Peninsula gradually lit up, reflected in the murky waters of the river, torn, stretched, then merged by the current.

The light wasn’t glaringly bright, but gentle, with a warm yellow hue reminiscent of everyday life.

Watching them recede bit by bit, becoming smaller, Li Younan felt a strange tranquility in his heart — the hustle and bustle of the city remained, but he had detached himself, becoming a quiet observer.

The room lighting was dimmed.

Li Younan took a hot shower, the water washing away the last bit of leftover restlessness, changing into the softest pajamas, leaning against the bedhead, flipping through the thin itinerary.

Tomorrow, Fengdu to see the "Ghost City"? Zhong County’s Stone Treasure Fortress, that little island in the river... the names all carry a touch of ancient charm and mystery.

He turned off the main light, leaving only a small bedside lamp casting a warm yellow halo.

Li Younan’s eyelids gradually grew heavy. Before his consciousness blurred, his last thought was not about what time to get up tomorrow, nor how spectacular the sights were, but: this ship is carrying me, peacefully sleeping in the embrace of the Yangtze River.

A sense of unprecedented steadiness and laziness, like the warm river water, flooded through his entire body.

His mouth unconsciously curved into a smile, then he drifted into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.

...

At the start of the journey on the ship, there was undoubtedly extreme excitement and freshness.

But you don’t even have to wait until the middle or latter part of the journey, just staying one day in limited space inevitably made one feel bored.

This atmosphere could be gleaned from the number of people on the deck.

In the morning, quite a few people climbed to the top deck to take photos and post pins, but shortly after, the number dwindled.

Compared to gazing at mountains on both sides, the lush green river, and soaking in the sun, it seemed more enjoyable to hide in the room with air conditioning or simply visit the game room for some mahjong.

Li Younan just interestingly observed these atmospheres.

For him, experiencing the emotions and mindset of other tourists was also part of the journey.

He didn’t forget to shoot videos, sending all the footage to Brother Long.

Li Younan rested well, so he got up early the next day, catching both breakfast and lunch.

The buffet on the cruise was indeed excellent, rivaling some hotel buffets, and he heard the meals changed daily.

By reputation, the cruise’s buffet was among the top few in its price range.

Compared to driving, with the steering wheel in his own hands, able to go wherever he pleased, traveling on the cruise felt less novel but more satisfying... like being in Howl’s moving castle.

However, Li Younan always had a knack for never being bored no matter the circumstance.

It’s not that he always found interesting things, but rather he could find more joy in the same things.

The deck was crowded, with people taking photos.

Li Younan took a camera, helping to take pictures for people coming and going.

When Li Younan did this, he did so simply on a whim.

Strictly speaking, Li Younan wasn’t a professional photographer.

It’s not that his skills weren’t professional enough, but rather that he lacked the experiences to be considered a professional photographer.

For instance, a photographer at his level would first need to learn a lot of tedious knowledge, proceed with extensive practice, constantly communicate with peers, and attend various competitions.

If it were portrait photography, dealing with models and even tying it to economics would be necessary.

Experience shapes one’s understanding of photography.

Li Younan lacked these experiences, making photography more pure for him.

He greatly enjoyed the moments of taking photographs for strangers.

Among the travelers on the ship, those who sought his help in taking pictures were mostly those willing to initiate conversations with strangers.

Among them were some older individuals, capturing moments that brought happiness to them was a genuinely happy thing for Li Younan.

He spent almost a whole morning on deck this way.

Besides taking portraits, he also captured a few landscapes he liked.

Compared to landscapes, Li Younan actually preferred portrait photography.

How to put it, in this information explosion era, scenery rarely stirs emotions.

In one morning, he harvested many high-quality portrait photos.

Of course, there were some minor surprises along the way. While photographing a girl, frankly speaking, her appearance was distinctive with a touch of freckles on her face, but she produced photographs of great texture.

Texture, in a sense, is perfection with a hint of flaw.

It would’ve been easy to hide those freckles, but Li Younan used a special technique, making the freckles more noticeable.

Although it was a really nice photo, when the girl held the camera to look at the original photo, she paused momentarily, said thank you, and didn’t seem to want Li Younan’s photo.

Li Younan reminded her, "You don’t want this photo? Shouldn’t I transfer it to you?"

Only then did she seem to suddenly remember, nodding: "Oh, sorry, I forgot."

Li Younan felt a bit complex, to be honest, this was the photo he was most satisfied with today.